Chapter 10

Right in front of the castle gates, soldiers from both sides, having laid down their spears and swords, lined up in a semi-circle, creating a circular arena.

Daphne, beautifully adorned since early morning, ascended to the watchtower.

King Bation, her father, his young consort Callista, and her male siblings, including Joffrey, were already seated. Callista, covering her mouth with a fan, spotted Daphne and her eyes curved into a smile. She seemed strangely pleased. Just as Daphne was about to subtly frown, Joffrey stood up from his seat and greeted her.

Today, Daphne was present as a Bellares princess and the fiancée of the great warrior participating in the sacred duel. She took Joffrey’s hand and sat beside him as he led her. As always, Rhea stood close by her side.

Was it because she had stayed up all night?

The soldiers below the watchtower, shouting at the top of their lungs as if competing with each other, were noisy. The chattering of her brothers sitting in the back row was irritating. Joffrey, who occasionally turned to speak to her, was particularly annoying.

‘I feel like I’m going to throw up.’

As Daphne covered her mouth with one hand, Joffrey said,

『Don’t worry. Equilla will win.』

In a confident tone.

Daphne, pale, closed her eyes in annoyance. Joffrey, for today at least, understood Daphne’s rudeness. He quickly lost interest in her.

Pooh.

At the long sound of the horn, Daphne opened her eyes again.

Finally, the duel. There was nothing she could do. Everything was dreadful, but Daphne found this fact most dreadful of all.

Last night, Daphne had actually secretly slipped out of her bedroom. But she stopped after only a few steps. The door to the treasure-filled room would have been locked long ago. She turned back, entered Thisbene’s bedroom, gazed at her sleeping sister’s face, and quietly returned to her own room.

‘I should have tried, even if it was locked.’

But the opportunity had long passed. What use was there in regretting it now? Everything was her fault for being so indecisive.

Suddenly, the roar of the crowd grew louder. Daphne casually lowered her gaze.

A dark reddish-brown horse was walking towards the center. It was Equilla.

At the same moment, on the opposite side, Leopold also spotted Equilla. The boy’s lips parted in astonishment.

“…Is that a bison or a man?”

Because Johannes hadn’t allowed it, Leopold had never been on a battlefield before. So, this was the first time he had seen a Lazan warrior up close.

The Inacos allied forces referred to the Lazan warriors as “enraged bison.” He had thought it was an exaggeration, but seeing it firsthand, the Lazan warrior, their leader, was literally no different from a wild bison. Leopold unconsciously stepped back slightly.

“It’ll be alright.”

Günter Habock, Johannes’s adjutant, patted Leopold’s shoulder reassuringly. Of course, Günter wasn’t feeling relaxed either. He was extremely anxious and displeased with this situation. The shock he had felt a few days ago when Johannes, summoned to the supreme commander’s tent, had abruptly informed him that he would be the warrior chosen by Kona for the duel…

Of course, Henrik’s offer wasn’t bad.

“I understand Itium’s situation. After the duel, I will allow Itium’s return. In addition to Itium’s original share, two archipelagos, eight warships’ worth of treasure, and slaves.”

But the problem was that Johannes’s life was on the line in this duel. Whose life wasn’t important, but Johannes was his comrade, his only close friend, and his liege. And it seemed his liege kept forgetting that he was a king.

Günter tried to dissuade him belatedly. But Johannes simply shrugged, saying, “But there’s no better warrior in the allied forces than me, is there?” Deliberately sounding annoying. But since it wasn’t wrong, Günter couldn’t argue.

“Günter. Think about it. If not for this opportunity, when would Henrik let me go?”

That too, was an undeniable fact.

Itium had been requesting to return since last winter, but Henrik had been obstructing their return by withholding their due share. In response, Johannes had refused to go to the battlefield, and two months had passed like that. Because of this, the relationship between Henrik and Johannes was worse than ever. Amidst all this, the oracle had come down like fate.

For Johannes, a single duel wouldn’t be a big deal…

‘…Damn it, even so. The opponent is Equilla.’

Günter glanced anxiously at his liege’s back as he stroked his snow-white horse. But he was the same as always, to an embarrassing degree. He looked relaxed, even detached.

…Right, that man is Johannes Tennan. Who am I worried about? Günter, quickly regaining his composure, whispered to Leopold,

“Leo, the helmet.”

Leopold, snapping out of it, approached Johannes with a sleek helmet resembling Itium’s black panther.

“Brother.”

Johannes turned around. An ideal appearance like a figure from mythology. Armed, he was beautiful. It was hard to believe he was the man called the bloody murderer.

“Leopold.”

Leopold, who had been inwardly anxious after seeing Equilla, immediately relaxed at Johannes’s easy smile. Leopold spoke with conviction,

“My god Kona.”

Johannes lowered his head and touched his forehead to Leopold’s.

“My god Kona.”

“Grant us eternal victory.”

“Grant us eternal victory.”

With the short prayer finished, the brothers’ foreheads parted. Leopold placed the helmet on Johannes’s head. Johannes, fully armed, mounted his horse. There was no hesitation in his movements. Finally, Johannes stopped in front of Equilla.

Certainly, Equilla’s aura was extraordinary. His imposing physique seemed to contribute to his reputation. Of course, having survived a great bloodbath to become Equilla, his reputation was surely not false.

Just then, Equilla provocatively threw off his helmet. His fierce expression was revealed. Johannes silently followed suit and removed his helmet. Johannes’s bare face was exposed under the blazing sun.

Equilla chuckled.

『A male with red lips and white skin. They call him the black monster, but he’s so white, he’s no different from a woman.』

Seeing Johannes’s appearance, different from what he had imagined, he underestimated him, thinking his reputation was just for show.

Johannes grinned, mirroring Equilla.

“You look even uglier when you smile….”

A playful smile, half-amused, half-surprised, spread across his face.

And the moment Johannes’s jet-black hair and wintery, cold blue eyes were revealed, Daphne’s eyes widened as she looked down at him from the watchtower.

The smooth, gleaming eyes, as cold and sharp as a blade. There was no way she could forget those innocent, boyish features and those eyes, the coldness of which couldn’t be completely hidden by his playful tone.

‘It’s that man.’

The man seemed to be the Inacos soldier she had encountered in the oak forest.

Just then, Joffrey clicked his tongue and muttered,

『They sent out that monster after all.』

Daphne unconsciously asked,

『Who, who is he?』

『Johannes Tennan. He plays king at the edge of the peninsula. Those speechless beasts, calling themselves kings, how absurd.』

Joffrey often used the expression “unable to speak” to describe those who didn’t speak Bellares as their native language.

『But Equilla will teach that monster a lesson today.』

The royals and nobles in the watchtower, recognizing Johannes, started jeering.

『Black-haired monster!』

『Bloody murderer!』

And Daphne couldn’t take her eyes off Johannes.

‘Johannes Tennan. Johannes…’

He wasn’t a mere soldier. Fully armed, he had a completely different aura than in the oak forest. The playful demeanor and boyish qualities she had seen in the forest were nowhere to be found. Looking at him holding a sword…

『The god of war and earth, Kona, is not a merciless or cruel god, but simply possesses a cold, unavoidable power like death itself.』

Suddenly, the story of Kona that Sione had told her once came to mind. Yes. Wouldn’t Kona have a face like that?

The man certainly seemed to be the most formidable enemy. And as an enemy commander, he was surely her enemy. Nevertheless, when the long, resounding horn signaled the start of the duel, Daphne unconsciously thought,

‘Could that man win?’

Her heart, harboring a sense of anticipation, began to gradually accelerate. She no longer heard the jeers and cheers. All her attention was focused on Johannes.